All Things For The Gospel

We come to you now — to hear You speak from Your perfect Word. O God, please spare us from the words and the thoughts of a man. Father, please get me out of the way, so that we can see You and hear from You in this God-inspired passage of scripture. Your law is better than silver or gold. Your word alone is the lamp to our feet and the light of our path. It is in your light that we see light. We join with the Psalmist, who exclaim: “We hope in Your Word”.

And, Lord, our greatest need as we open this book of God is to be fed the Word of God. We do not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God. So, we humbly ask: please edify us, and strengthen, and help us now, as we worship you in your Holy Scriptures. Equip us for this day, and this week, and for all of eternity... and make us more like our Lord Jesus Christ. We pray all of this in His name.

Amen.

Introduction

Well, after a 5 week detour, we are returning to our sermon series in the book of 1 Corinthians. And, I don’t know about you, but I, for one, am overjoyed to be back doing this type of systematic, expositional study through the text of scripture.

And, this week, we are going to pick up exactly where we left off, as we look at 1 Corinthians 9:19-23… the text that our brother, Jason, just read.

And, at this early stage, it might be helpful to do a bit of a review, so that we can find our bearings in this text:

You might remember that the Apostle Paul wrote this letter to the Corinthian church in approximately 54 A.D. This was shortly after his extended stay with them — a stay that we can read about in the first half of Acts chapter 18 (in the first half of that chapter).

And, up to this point in his letter, the Apostle Paul has addressed a number important issues that were having a detrimental effect on this young and immature church.

And, if we turn to the beginning of the book, we can see some of these challenges by doing just a quick survey...

You’ll remember that in Chapters 1-4 Paul addressed issues of division within the church. Some were saying “I am of Paul, I am of Apollos, I am of Cephas”. And, Paul said: No! And, he shows them that they have become captive to empty human philosophy (love of wisdom), and they were, in Paul’s own words, “acting merely human”. To this, Paul responded by saying: Don’t pledge your allegiance to human teachers. Pledge your allegience to Christ! Christ alone is the power of God and the wisdom of God!

In 1 Corinthians Chapters 5 + 6, he addressed concerns about lawsuits and sexual immorality. Paul says that these lawsuits are a shameful blemish on church — they are a “defeat” already to these immature Christians. And, furthermore, Paul urges them in 1 Cor 6:18-20 to FLEE sexual immorality — “Run for your lives!”, he says. The sexually immoral person sins against his own body… and this is one of the gravest of sins, because the body of the Christian is the temple of the Holy Spirit. To engage in sexual sin is desecrate the very temple of God and to grieve His Holy Spirit.

In Chapter 7 he answered their questions about marriage, divorce, and singleness. We start to see this expression… “Now concerning the matters about which you wrote” (7:1).

And, then, in Chapters 8 + 9, he addresses concerns about idolatry and about the wise and loving exercise of Christian liberty.

In 1 Corinthians 8:1, he writes to the Corinthians that “knowledge puffs up, but love builds up”. And, then in these two chapters, he shows the saints what this kind of sacrificial love looks like. It is a kind of love that lays down it’s own rights for the good of a brother/sister… and for the glory of God.

As we discovered — just before we took our 5 week hiatus — “Christian freedom is not a licence to do whatever I want to do, but it is liberation to do what I ought to do.”

So, the last time that we were in chapter 9, he showed us that he is not asking the Corinthians to do something that he has not first done himself. Paul gave up his right to compensation, so that he might preach the gospel to the Corinthians, “free of charge”. He laid down his rights for their good. And, he exhorts them to do the same.

So, that is where we left off last time.

Now, as we hone in on 1 Corinthians, chapter 9, and verse 19, Paul is going to continue with this line of reasoning about Christian freedom. And, again, he is going to use his own witness as a positive example that the Corinthians can immitate.

And, as we study our text today, this is what we are going to find:

Preposition: In this passage (in Vv. 19-23), the Apostle Paul shows that he is fully and gloriously free in Christ. And, yet, he shows us that he has not used this freedom for his own selfish interests, but to become a servant — a servant for the sake of the gospel and for the salvation of the lost.

Paul gained his freedom in Christ, and then he laid down his freedom that he might save some. And he invites us… he implores us… he urges us… to do the same.

So, that’s our introduction. Now, let’s get into our Bibles.

Exposition:

READ v. 19

In our study today, we are going to consider 3 truths/points that arise from the passage. And, the first point that we stumble upon in v.19 is this:

1. Paul used his freedom to become a servant of the lost.

If you were to read this text in the original language, you would discover that Paul begins verse 19 with a very intentional word choice. The opening word that he uses in the Greek is the word: “Free”. And, he begins this sentence with this word to emphatically declare his liberty as a Christian. He says in v. 19 that he is “Free from all”.

And, this is not a hypothetical freedom. It’s a real freedom that Christ himself purchased for all believers on the cross at Calvary. When Christ lived a perfect life, and then died on the cross, and was buried, and the rose from the dead on the third day, he fulfilled all of the requirements of the law. He fulfilled all righteousness. He satisfied God’s exacting justice. He paid the Christian’s debt in full. And, by payment with his own blood, Jesus freed every man, and woman, and child who has, does, and ever will place their faith in Him.

So, Paul begins verse 19 by reminding us that he is free. In Christ, Paul is now perfectly free. Wholly free. Free from the requirements of Old Covenant Law. Free from the dominion of the Satan. Free from the power of sin. Free from the guilt of sin before a holy God. Free from a defiled conscience. Free from bondage to men. Free from the fear of men. Free from captivity to false gods and superstitions. Free from the hopelessness and fear of death. Free to enjoy the grace of God for all of eternity. Fully and Unreservedly free.

This was the reality of Paul’s life, and this is the reality that every Christian lives in (whether you realize it or not!). If you are in Christ, you have a freedom that most people in the world do not even know exists. To borrow from Paul’s second letter to the Corinthians (in 2 Corinthians 3:17):

2 Corinthians 3:17 ESV

Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.

In Galatians 5:1, Paul says:

Galatians 5:1 ESV

For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.

As a Christian, when you wake up in the morning, even though you may have a job, and responsibilities, and bills to pay... you are more free than Jeff Bezos, or Bill Gates, or anyone else who is still enslaved to sin, and death, and the devil.

So, here, Paul says: “I am free”.

And, if you didn’t know what was going to come next, you might ask: “What does Paul do with this freedom that he he has in Christ?”

In the second half of verse 19 he says, “…though I am free from all, I have made myself a servant of all, that I might win more of them...”.

Paul intentionally and emphatically declares his own freedom at the beginning of the verse, in order that he might show that he has exchanged many of the benefits/privileges of this freedom, to take up the servant’s apron, and to pour out his life… He says, “that I might win more” (more!) people to Christ!

As long as there are more people without hope and without Christ, Paul would, “I will make myself a servant of all”.

That word for “servant” is actually the Greek word: “Doulos”. And, it is often said that this word “doulos” might be best translated as “slave” (NASB). And, this distinction is important.

A servant has options — they can move, they can quit, they can find better compensation. You may have a boss, but you are your own. In contrast, a “doulos” in Paul’s day (a slave), was OWNED by their master. Whether because of a debt, or poverty, or some other circumstance, they had likely sold themselve into slavery. And, they were no longer their own. Their actions were dictated by the needs of another.

So, here, Paul demonstrates his total commitment to evangelism. His dedication to the salvation of sinners around him… his love for the lost souls of his neighbours. It was a not a casual interest on his part. Preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ was not a hobby or a pastime. It was his life!

You could say, he was “Sold Out” for the evangelization of the lost around him.

And, there is a story in church history that perfectly illustrates this type of mindset.

Illustration: Moravian Missionaries

On October 8th, 1732, a group of Christians from a Moravian community in Herrnhut, Germany arrived at one of the ports in Copenhagen, Denmark. They had assembled to see two young men off, who, as far as they knew, would be setting sail, never to return again. And, to the astonishment of many, these young me were not leaving for business, or leisure, or a new life in the American colonies. No. These two young men had freely sold themselves into a life of slavery.

On this particular day, these two young Moravian Christians by the names of Johann Leonhard Dober and David Nitschmann were setting sail for an island in the Atlantic Ocean, to preach the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ.

You see, the men had heard of an island in the West Indies where an atheist British slave owner had upwards of 2000 to 3000 slaves. And, the owner was quoted as saying, "No preacher, no clergyman, will ever stay on this island. [Even] if he's shipwrecked, we'll keep him in a separate house until he has to leave, but he's never going to talk to any of us about God…”

So, there, on an island in the Atlantic, were thousands of African slaves, toiling every day in the sugar cane fields under the burning sun… doomed to live and then die in their sin… without ever hearing the good news of Jesus Christ.

And, the knowledge of this was a tremendous burden to these two young men. So, when Dober and Nitschmann could bear it no more, they approached this British plantation owner and sold themselves to him, each for the standard price of a male slave.

So, on the pier, family as their family members were weeping, the housings were cast off and the ship began to slip away. And, as the ship drifted with the tide and as the gap widened between the ship and the pier, the two young men linked arms, raised their hands and shouted across the gap, "May the Lamb that was slain receive the reward of His suffering."

There went these two men — free in Christ, but enslaved that they might win others to Christ. And, history tells us that these two men, and others who followed them, were successful in reaching these slaves with the gospel. Years later, they returned to Europe and reported the conversion of thousands of those slaves. And, though they were still enslaved, in Christ, they were already free!

And, this was Paul’s mindset! As far as he was concerned, Christ had freed him, so that he could take all of his time, and his energy, and his reputation, and his intellect, and his freedom, and serve others by bringing them the gospel of God.

Application:

To the Christians in this room: is this your mindset? If you are in Christ, you are free. Praise God. But, how are you using that freedom? Like Paul, is evangelism and the procalamation of the gospel one of the great commitments of your life? Even if you are not a gifted evangelist, are you at least obeying Christ’s last, great command to “make disciples of all nations… and to preach the gospel to all creation?

Here Paul says, “I have made it one of my great aims to win more people to Christ. It’s worth my freedom” And, at the end of this whole section, in 1 Corinthians 11:1, Paul is going to cap off his argument by saying, “[Now], imitate me...” But, before we even hear that imperative in 11:1, the implication of this text is that we give up our rights to win lost souls to Jesus.

The author of Proverbs tells us that this is one of the fruits of a wise and righteous life.

In Proverbs 11:30 he writes:

Proverbs 11:30 ESV

The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, and whoever captures souls is wise.

A wise and righteous Christian actively labours to lead the people around him/her to eternal life. To go behind enemy lines to capture the souls of their friends, family members, and neighbours, and see them rescued from the domain of darkness and transferred to the kingdom of God’s son. We are not to be marketers, trying to build our brand. We are not to be salesmen, trying to get new subscribers. We are to be servants, labouring to win those around us.

But, I fear that many professing Christians today are ashamed of the gospel. And, rather than using their freedom as an opportunity to serve others by bringing them the gospel, they are foolishly using their Christian liberites to gratify their own selfish desires. Is that you? How are you doing in this regard.

Paul warned the Galatians about this in Galatians 5:13:

Galatians 5:13 ESV

For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.

Let’s use our freedom to be gospel servants!

Next Paul says...

READ Vv. 20-22

Here we see the second truth that arises from our text...

2. Paul used his freedom to make the gospel as accessible as possible.

For Paul to be a servant of all, this did not just mean that he devoted his life to reaching the lost. It also meant that he gave up his own preferences, his own way of life, his newfound Christian liberties, to remove obstacles that might keep lost people from hearing the gospel message. Now, don’t mistake what I am saying — he did not water down the gospel… he did not dress it up, or dull its sharp edges... but he went to the blind, to the deaf, to the spiritually dead, and he brought the gospel to them in a way that was accessible and that did not needlessly add offense to the message.

Paul did not view the gospel as a hammer, and every person as a nail. But, like a skilled warrior, he wielded the sword of Spirit, which is the word of God, with great precision and care. Paul was mindful of the sensibilities and the hang-ups of each of the people groups that he was trying to reach. He knew that the Gospel was the power of God for salvation, but he also knew that this powerful had to be handled wisely.

So, he says:

“To the Jews, I became as a Jew.” Paul was born, raised, and educated as Jew. Prior to his converstion, he tells us that he was a Hebrew of Hebrews, and a member of the sctrictest sect of Judaism - the Pharisee party. But, now that he was free in Christ, Judaism was no longer the centre of his universe. Christ became the focal point of his life and his identity. Before anything else, he was a Christian.

Yet, he did not insist on his own way when it came to reaching the Jews. When we read the book of Acts, we find Paul going to the synagogue on the Sabbath, not primarily to worship, but to reason with the the Jews, and to bring the gospel to them.

We read about this in Acts 17:1-3

Acts 17:1–3 ESV

Now when they had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where there was a synagogue of the Jews. And Paul went in, as was his custom, and on three Sabbath days he reasoned with them from the Scriptures, explaining and proving that it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead, and saying, “This Jesus, whom I proclaim to you, is the Christ.”

Paul didn’t wait for the Jews to come to church on Sunday. He went to them, in their place, on their day, according to their culture, to save their souls.

When it was appropriate to do so, he followed their customs and submitted to the Old Testament law (not because he was under the law - he makes that clear in v. 20), but in order to reach his Jewish kinsmen. We see this in Acts 16:3, when Paul circumcized Timothy as they continued to bring ther gospel to the Jews on Paul’s second missionary journey.

We see the lengths that Paul was willing to go to win the Jews when we read Romans 9:1-3:

Romans 9:1–3 ESV

I am speaking the truth in Christ—I am not lying; my conscience bears me witness in the Holy Spirit— that I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. For I could wish that I myself were accursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers, my kinsmen according to the flesh.

In v. 21 he says, “To those outside the law, I became as one outside the law...”

When Paul went to Athens in Acts 17, not only did he go to the synagogue to win the Jews, but he also went to the Gentiles in their marketplace (every day!) to reason with them. And, when he got an opportunity to speak publicly on Mars Hill, at the Areopagus, in Acts 17:22 he tailored his presentation of the gospel to their culture. He even quoted some of the pagan Greek poets that they would have been familiar with. He did his homework and made every effort to reach them. But he did not dull the blade.

Acts 17:30–31 (ESV)

The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent, because he has fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed; and of this he has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead.”

Paul went to their places. He spoke their language. He acknowledged their worldview. And, he preached a clear gospel of repentance and faith in Christ.

And, he did all of this while still obeying the Law of Christ. This is an expression that Paul also uses in Galatians 6:2.

This does not mean that he kept the Levitical law of the Old Covenant — Christ had freed him from the. But the “Law of Christ”, as one commentator very succinctly put it, “consists of the teachings of Christ and the moral commands in the New Testament, which absorb many of the moral precepts and principles of the Old Testament.” So, Paul live adapted his approach to reach Gentile, without become an antinomian (that is someone who lawless).

Even when Paul interacted with weak Christians, like we the men and women that we read about in 1 Corinthians 9:9, who were torn up about food offered to idols, he became weak for their sake. He allowed himself to be bound by their conscience. He became their servant in the gospel.

So, to summarize, he tells us in v. 22 that he “became all things to all people, that by all means [he] might save some”.

In the words of one commentator, Paul was not unprincipled, but he had “an astonishing elasticity of mind, and a flexibility in dealing with situations requiring delicate and ingenious treatment.”

Illustration: Husdon Taylor

And, if we look at the history of missions and revivals in the world. We see that some of the most effective gospel ministers in all of history understood this principle. When Hudson Taylor landed in China, many of his missionary colleagues lived in a compound for foreigners, and refused to adopts the customs of the Chinese. But, with Paul’s example, Hudson Taylor gave up his preferences and adopted Chinese dress; he styled his hair as the Chinese did, and he lived among the Chinese… eventually moving inland, where few missionaries dared to go. He removed every human obstacle of the gospel. And, some of his contemporaries mocked him for it, but today in China, hundreds of thousands — if not millions — of Christian’s might be able to trace their conversions back to work of Hudson Taylor.

Application:

So, what does this mean for us?

She we go out and buy designer jeans to relate to our materialistic neighbours? Absolutely not! That is not what Paul is getting at. But what this means is that we must adopt an approach to evangelism that is nuanced, that is thoughtful, and that serves the hearer (and not the preacher!).

And, if I might say it, perhaps the most relevant application of this text for us is that we simply “Go”. Like Paul, don’t wait for the Jews and Gentiles to come to you or to come to church. But, go to them. Go find someone to serve!

Stay

If God calls you to remain here in Edmonton, then go across the street, and meet your neighbour, and share the gospel with them. Pray for boldness, and then be bold at your workplace. Love your family members and friends well by telling them about Jesus. Join this church when we go into the community to share the gospel. Be all things to all people, that by all means you may save some.

Chris Sippley story: Moved into a neighbourhood. Introduced himself. Shared the gospel. Invited to church. Son committed suicide. Gifted her a study Bible. She lived in her Bible. Led a number of her family members to Christ.

And, I am hoping and praying that some people in this church will not only go across the street, but that you will be sent to go across the world and proclaim the gospel to people have never heard the name of Jesus. My great hope is that we can be a missionary church, that sends our own people, and financially supports them, and holds them up in prayer.

I hope that God gives some of you the same ambition that Paul had in Romans 15:20-21. There he says:

Romans 15:20–21 (ESV)

...I make it my ambition to preach the gospel, not where Christ has already been named, lest I build on someone else’s foundation, but as it is written, “Those who have never been told of him will see, and those who have never heard will understand.”

By way of review:

1. Paul used his freedom to become a servant of the lost.

2. Paul used his freedom to make the gospel as accessible as possible.

And, lastly:

3. Paul used his freedom to share the blessings of the gospel.

READ v. 23

Here Paul gives us a full glimpse of his motives. And this, I believe, is the key to rightly interpreting and applying our passage today.

Paul is not motivated by a sense of guilt. Nor is he motivated by a sense of duty. (Whenever I treach on topics evangelism or prayer, I try my very hardest to avoid using either of these as motivators).

It’s not guilt. It’s not duty. It is the sheer beauty and glory of the gospel that motivates Paul. He says, “I do it all for… the gospel.

If you find that evangelism is a major area of weakness for you, it might be that it is because your understanding or appreciation of the gospel deficient.

If you want to be a gospel servant — if you want to be all things to all men, that you might win some — if you want to preach the gospel to all creation… you must first by moved by the gospel.

So, meditate on the gospel.

And, do not look away until you are enthralled with beauty of the gospel.

I love a quote that I once heard from the 19th century Scottish Pastor, Robert Murray McCheyne:

For every look at yourself, take ten looks at Christ. He is altogether lovely. Such infinite majesty, and yet such meekness and grace, and all for sinners, even the chief! Live much in the smiles of God. Bask in his beams. Feel his all-seeing eye settled on you in love, and repose in his almighty arms. . . .

. . . Let your soul be filled with a heart-ravishing sense of the sweetness and excellency of Christ and all that is in Him. Let the Holy Spirit fill every chamber of your heart; and so there will be no room for folly, or the world, or Satan, or the flesh.

And, if I might add, when you are so full of Christ and the joy of His salvation that you are overflowing, then evangelism will come far more naturally to you. It may never be easy, but it will possible… and powerful.

Our Lord said in Matthew 12:34:

Matthew 12:34 (ESV)

For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.

So, if you want to be a faithful and effective evangelist like Paul, fill your heart with the truths of the gospel.

Meditate on:

...GOD

Fill your mind and heart with character, nature, and atributes of God. Dwell on the person of God.

...MAN

Consider your helpless estate in and of yourself. On our own, we are sinful, and wretched, miserable.

But then.... meditate on CHRIST

Like McCheyne said, for every look at self, take ten looks at Christ. Consider his incarnation, his perfect life, his death on the cross for sinners. Consider that on that cross, he bore sin with your name on it. It wasn’t just sin in general — it was your sin. It was your wrath. In love, even while you were yet a sinner, He died for you. Even for you.

And, by his blood, he justified you. Has made propitiation. He has reconciled you to God. In Christ, there is no condemnation.

Hymn: Full atonement can it be? Yes. It is finished. There is nothing left to do now, but respond anew in repentance and faith.

And, when you are full of this gospel, you will want to share this blessing with every person that you know. Regardless of the cost.

There are very few things in this life that are worth living for, let alone dying for, but the gospel is one of those things!

Illustration: Two Missionaries in Indonesia

When I was in Indonesia… driving down a jungle road in the middle of nowhere, and we passed a monument that was erected at the side of the road. Our driver explained that this was the place where 2 American Baptist missionaries first made contact with the Batak people in the early 1800s. The missionaries sailed across the ocean, they bushwhacked through thick jungle, they scaled steep hills in the blistering heat, and this was the place where they met the unreached Batak tribe. Months, maybe even years, of preparation lead up to this moment of first contact.

When they were greeted by the Batak people, they were not received with the peaceful greetings and fanfare that they might have hoped for, but they were greeted with the warriors of the tribe and their weapons.

This monument in the middle of the jungle marks the place where these young missionaries were killed and cannibalized.

Why did they go? Why did sail across the ocean? Why did they die.

Guilt or a sense of duty will never get a person that far.

It was the wisdom, and the power, and beauty of the gospel of Jesus Christ!

Conclusion

Are you free in Christ? Go to Him with your freedom, and submit to Him as a servant and slave, that you might win some. Be all things to all people, that by all means you might save some. Do it for the gospel and the eternal blessing of other.

Not only will you be immitating Paul, but you will be immitating Paul as he immitates Christ. He became a servant, he came to us in our world, and he gave us this glorious gospel.